The new SONI Control Centre in Castlereagh House, a critical piece of infrastructure serving all electricity customers in Northern Ireland, has been opened.

SONI, the Transmission System Operator in Northern Ireland, is responsible for ensuring the safe, secure and economic operation of the electricity transmission network in Northern Ireland.

SONI General Manager Robin McCormick said the new control room and Energy Management System (EMS) will play a key role in minimizing the costs of scheduling, and dispatching generating units to meet electricity demands.

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Welcoming the new centre, Energy Minister Arlene Foster said: "This new state of the art Control Room, which represents a £4.5m investment, aims to continue the supply of high quality and reliable power across Northern Ireland.

"This investment in control of the electricity system comes at an important time for us here in Northern Ireland as we face the challenge of moving away from our over dependence on fossil fuels to incorporating more renewable generation onto our electricity grid."

The EMS is located in the SONI Control Centre which is operated by staff 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ensuring the supply and demand for power are matched at all times, controlling the flows of electricity along the power lines, and transporting power from generators in bulk around the grid.

(PR/GK)